Alex Eala teams up with top juniors netter for W25 Madrid doubles tourney

MANILA, Philippines – On top of a golden goal to bag her second pro singles title, Filipina netter Alex Eala is out to weave her magic in the doubles play anew after teaming up with ITF Juniors No. 1 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva of Andorra in the W25 Madrid in Spain.

The world No. 3 Eala and Kasintseva, who zoomed to top spot from No. 2, joined forces in a young but powerhouse tandem against an anticipated tough field made up of seasoned women’s pro players in the $25,000-event running until the weekend.

The 16-year-old Eala is coming off a magical French Open girls’ doubles championship run with Russian friend Oksana Selekhmeteva over the weekend and is hoping to carry on the momentum to Madrid.

Kasintseva, champion of the 2020 Australian Open girls’ singles, also played in the Roland Garros but fell short in the quarterfinals and semifinals of singles and doubles events, respectively.

Eala and Kasintseva, an unseeded tandem in Madrid, was to play the No. 2 seed duo of United States’ Robin Anderson and Bulgaria’s Isabella Shinikova in the first round late last night.

In the singles play, the WTA No. 630 Eala has been drawn to a first-round duel against veteran home bet Andrea Lazaro Garcia (WTA No. 272) boasting five titles and almost 200 career matches under her belt.

Winner of two juniors Grand Slam crowns already, Eala only in her second year in the women’s pro circuit seeks to follow up her maiden championship in the W15 Manacor last January.

After her Madrid tilt, Eala is expected to bring her act to London next month for the return of the Wimbledon Championships following its cancellation last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.